Absolute Batman Just Made a Fatal Mistake

March 12, 2026, 10:30am

I hate to say it, but Absolute Batman just made one of the worst mistakes in his career. In the Absolute Universe, Bruce Wayne doesn’t have the things that have made his Prime Universe counterpart’s life so easy. But despite not having a family fortune or a company, the Absolute Universe’s Dark Knight has already started to change his world for the better. After taking out Black Mask and the Party Animals, as well as the insidious Bane, Batman has become a people’s champion, but not everyone loves Batman as much as the public.

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One thing Absolute Batman has made clear is that Bruce’s activities are taking a serious toll on his personal relationships. Case in point, because Bruce interfered with Absolute Joker’s plans, Joker sicced Bane on Gotham, and he mutilated Batman’s closest friends, Eddie, Harvey, and Oz. That’s not even getting into the mental anguish Bruce’s mother suffered when Bruce was held hostage in Ark M for months on end. Batman has been finding it hard to hold onto his life as Bruce Wayne, and now he’s making the absolute worst decision possible to resolve things.

Absolute Batman is Killing His Heart to ‘Evolve’

Absolute Batman #17 and #18 by Scott Snyder, Eric Canete, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles tell a two-part story about the Caped Crusader taking on the Absolute Universe’s Poison Ivy. But Bruce’s battle with the powerful foe is only half the story. In the wake of Batman’s battle with Bane, Bruce has time to reflect on how things have changed in Gotham. Batman has become a symbol for the people, with street vendors selling merch with his logo. But while everyone seems to love Batman, Bruce has lost touch with almost everyone else in his private life.

Bruce spends days trying to make up to his friends, none of whom want to see him. He can’t relate to his mother anymore. All Bruce has is his life as Batman. So when Poison Ivy strikes at the heart of Gotham City, Bruce heads out to take her down. But Ivy is as cunning as she is powerful. While she and Batman fight, Ivy tries to convince Bruce to let her mutate him, to help him evolve into something without weaknesses, so he can be the force he needs to take down Absolute Joker.

Ivy makes an impassioned speech about how Batman’s presence has upped the ante in Grimm’s mission to conquer Gotham, and she insists that Batman evolve in order to win. Batman agrees that he needs to change, but on his terms. After tricking Ivy to stop her attack on the city by threatening to destroy her heart, Bruce destroys the last human part of her anyway once her threat is over. In the following days, Batman stops checking up on his friends and even cuts ties with his mother, fully committing himself to his life as Batman.

Absolute Batman is Evolving, But in the Wrong Direction

It’s sad to see Batman shut everyone out. One of the most interesting things about this version of Batman was that his allies were so radically different from the Prime DCU Bat-Family. To be fair, everything Bruce has known has changed dramatically since this series began. His closest friends’ lives have all been upended, and Bruce has been tortured and nearly killed numerous times. While the public may be in a state of Batmania, Bruce’s actions have caused those he loves irreparable harm, and worse, he’s nowhere close to stopping Grimm and his insidious plans for Gotham.

Absolute Batman is finding himself at an inflection point. He can’t undo the damage he’s done to his loved ones, and he’s not going as hard as he needs to in order to stop Absolute Joker. In his mind, the only reasonable course of action is to cut out his heart (metaphorically, of course). By cutting off all his connections, Bruce doesn’t have to worry about hurting anyone or anyone getting hurt because of him. Unfortunately, Bruce is reacting out of hurt, and if he put some thought into this, he’d realize this is an insanely bad idea.

When Absolute Batman fought Bane, he only won because he had allies in his corner to help him. I think we can all agree that Batman is a great hero, but when no one is in his corner, he can get a little, for lack of a better word, lost. Despite his reputation as a lone Caped Crusader, Batman is always at his best when he’s surrounded by others. Deciding to cut out those closest to him might seem like a good idea, but Batman is going to need everyone by his side to survive what horrors await him next.

What do you think about Batman’s choice to abandon his friends and family? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!